neck cracking
If you experience neck pain and this worries you
If you want to know what causes the neck to ringing
If you want to know if neck ringing is a serious sign or not
If you want to know what causes neck pain, read on.
Introduction
If the joints are in good condition, their ringing can also occur frequently and is not accompanied by other symptoms; that is, the person can hear the sound of his neck despite having healthy joints; These sounds are also present in the neck of young people.
There are several types of neck pain; Which is sometimes accompanied by neck noise; in these cases, it is better to consult a doctor; But if your neck has a sound but no pain, most likely there is no serious issue, but if there is limited movement in the neck, neck swelling, neck instability that is accompanied by neck sound, you must see a doctor.
Clinical signs and manifestations
In addition to ringing, there may be other signs and symptoms when a person has neck sounds:
The first sign is decrease range of motion:
The head and neck may have lost their natural mobility or may not have their natural flexibility, especially when you try, for example, to touch your shoulders with your ears and chin in a side-bending position, or when you try to move the ear to the back, it means to rotate the neck; In these cases, you may feel tightness in the neck and limited range of motion.
The second sign:
Have a headache in the back or a sore neck that spreads to your temples and forehead.
The next symptom is muscle pain and muscle tenderness:
It is when applying pressure and even a gentle touch causes muscle pain in the neck.
The next sign is redness of the skin:
Occasionally there may be redness and discoloration of the skin around the neck in addition to inflammation.
The next sign:
We may feel tightness or a hard lump when the neck muscles and neck belt around the neck are spasmed.
Another sign of numbness and tingling in the shoulder and arm area:
These manifestations are very common when there is compression of the nerves in the area or cervical spondylosis or also osteoarthritis of the neck. Prolonged spasms in young people in the muscles of the neck and shoulder girdle, as well as osteoarthritis of the neck in middle-aged and elderly people, can cause entrapment and pressure on the nerves in this area, and numbness and tingling and murmurs in the shoulders and arms that occasionally shoot up to the fingertips.
Why can the neck make a sound in motion?
In this section, we want to name the most common causes that cause pain when moving, even a slight movement of the neck:
The human neck is said to consist of the cervical spine, which consists of seven cervical vertebrae; These seven vertebrae will be well supported by their ligament muscles and tendons. The vertebrae cause the neck to move, as well as the column and support for our head and neck, and also allow us to bend and move our head without putting pressure on it. Constant pressure on the vertebrae may cause neck pain when the neck rotates; There is no need to worry in a person who does not have this sound with another symptom, but if it is accompanied by pain and other symptoms, he should definitely consult a doctor.
- The first cause of bubble burst or cavitation:
Around the joints; There are sacs of joint fluid between the vertebral bodies that allow the vertebrae to move together smoothly; Carbon dioxide and nitrogen are soluble in the joint fluid. As the joints move apart, the joint space increases, the pressure decreases, and conversely; When we put the joint back in place, the space between the joints decreases and the pressure changes; These movements and pressure changes cause these gases to dissolve into a gas; So when gas bubbles form and when we turn the neck to the right, these bubbles burst as the space decreases, and it is the sound of the bubble bursting that we feel as the neck rotates; Cavitation produces a rattling sound, and is the main and most common cause of neck pain in healthy and young people.
Joint problems; Various diseases such as osteoporosis and especially osteoarthritis may cause problems in the neck joints and gradually cause degenerative changes in the bones of the cervical vertebrae and cause noise when the neck rotates and moves. It is one of the most common and main joint problems in people. Middle-aged and above are osteoarthritis of the neck and cervical spondylosis.
Osteoarthritis of the neck becomes more common with age; It is said that after the age of 50, the flexible spongy discs between the cervical vertebrae degenerate and lose their natural structure and texture, and natural pillows can no longer be placed between the bones as before, so the adjacent bone surfaces are rubbed against each other.
As the joint becomes more unstable and weak, the ligaments around the joint may thicken, enter the space between the bones, and cause the space to narrow and shrink; All cases can cause stiffness and pain in the neck. Even older people may be more likely to notice neck pain when moving the neck in addition to stiffness and discomfort; Also, cervical spondylosis can occur in younger people due to improper posture.
Joint injuries in the cervical spine include neck injuries, for example in athletes and gymnasts.
The injured neck puts a lot of pressure and with special movements can produce more sound in the neck in addition to pain, discomfort and stiffness.
- The next cause of ligament problems
Ligaments cause the bones to join together, that is, in the joints between the cervical vertebrae, the supporting ligaments connect the bones together and allow the joint to move well, but the bones may protrude in any way. When the ligaments tighten or stick together, they may suddenly release as the neck moves, and their release and the wear of the ligaments on adjacent surfaces can cause neck pain, so if you are a young adult who does not have an underlying disease, there are no symptoms other than neck ringing and you also have no history of neck trauma and recent injuries, you should not worry only about simple ringing and neck unit.
If ringing in your neck is accompanied by one or more of the following symptoms, it is important to consult a doctor as soon as possible:
- If the neck sounds immediately after the injury and blow to the neck, in this case, refer to the emergency medical team.
- If you notice that neck noise occurs with a decrease in range of motion when bending the neck toward the shoulders or when rotating the neck between the shoulders.
- If you notice that neck noise occurs with a decrease in range of motion when bending the neck toward the shoulders or when rotating the neck between the shoulders.
- If you feel tingling, murmurs, tingling or numbness in the shoulder area spreading to your fingertips.
- If you feel that the muscles of the upper limbs do not have the strength and ability of the past.
- If you have headaches in the back of the neck that spread to the temples and forehead that you have not experienced before.
Neck ringing and neck cracking can be associated with complications if left untreated. Neck pain and ringing in the neck are present at first and after a while the ability to move your neck changes and the ability to move decreases; This is due to the wear and tear of the cartilage around the vertebral body, the degeneration of the cartilage around the vertebral body and in fact the wear and tear of the adjacent bones, in other words, the person develops osteoarthritis of the cervical vertebrae earlier. Osteoarthritis progresses faster when the pressure on the neck is regularly high, and pressure on the nerves causes neck pain in addition to neck pain.
- The next complication of vascular accidents
Many young people and people under the age of 60 who experience chronic neck sounds; Because moving bones and joints can, due to their incorrect position, cause blows and pressure on the main arteries that go from the neck to the skull, they are prone to stroke and cerebrovascular accidents.
Symptoms include:
- Weakness on one side of the body
- Blurred vision
- Severe headaches
- Emotional confusion
- Dizziness
- speech problem
Any of the above that has occurred will require immediate referral to a medical emergency center.
treatment
If side effects from osteoarthritis occur, medical care is needed until the person receives proper care and avoids sudden movements, and the person must keep his neck still and immobile in the acute phase. Exercise also helps people whose symptoms are due to osteoarthritis of the spine.
Step-by-step movements should be started at the end of the acute period under the supervision of a doctor, but we emphasize that you should perform these movements when your doctor has described them as uncomplicated, so if you have neck pain and your neck joints are not stable, you must Avoid sudden movements and extensive exercise, and keep your neck still during these phases and consult a doctor immediately.
The following are helpful exercises for people with osteoarthritis of the neck recommended by their doctor:
- Semi-rotational exercises
These movements are effective in treating and reducing neck noise and involve moving the neck in two directions. First put your head and neck in a normal position, look forward, then gently turn your head backwards, That is, so that the eyes are towards the ceiling. This takes 2 to 3 seconds to gently turn your head forward. The shape of your chin touching your chest and your eyes facing the ground, then stay in this position for 20 seconds and then return to normal position.
- The second rotation exercise
Neck rotation movements and exercises include two types of movements:
The first move:
That is, you keep your head and neck straight and look forward, then slowly turn to the left so that your chin hangs over your left shoulder. Stay in this position for one second, then return to the normal position of the head and neck. Gently turn to the other side, pause for a second, Then return to the normal state of the head and neck. Repeat this sequence two to three times.
The second move:
This is how you put your head on your right shoulder and then gently turn your head around the neck in a clockwise direction.
- Exercise 3 Resistance exercises
It strengthens the neck muscles. It is better to have the head and neck in a normal position first, press the palm of the hand to the forehead, use the neck muscles and gently press the head forward and the palm of the hand. And we resist the movement of the head forward with the force of the hand. This movement should last 5 seconds.
Now press the palm of your hand behind your head. Now try to gently press your head to the back and at the same time resist the pressure with the forces of your hand and stay in this position for 5 seconds. Now with your left hand to the left, apply pressure of your head and resist with your head against it. Now repeat these movements for the right side.
We must say that these exercises should be done carefully. The pressure should not be too much because there is a possibility of injury. If you feel pain and discomfort during these exercises, you should stop the exercise and it is definitely necessary if you have osteoarthritis or neck injury, consult your doctor before performing the above movements.